Fans Prepare to Sue NFL and DirecTV Over Blackouts

Another class action suit is around the corner for the NFL and DirecTV. Football fan Thomas Abrahamian filed a proposed complaint in a California federal court on Wednesday for a class action suit alleging that the NFL and DirecTV have violated Sherman anti-trust laws.

NFL coverage is currently set up in the form of  a ‘blackout coverage’ system. What this means is games will be broadcasted on a regional basis. If a person is outside of a particular game’s ‘broadcast region,’ they will be unable …

Continue Reading

NFL & Former Players Reach Settlement Again; Judge Approves

On Wednesday, April 22, Federal Judge Anita Brody approved what may become the long-awaited final settlement between the massive class of ex-NFL players and the NFL in their concussion litigation.

The lawsuit, an aggregation of hundreds of ex-players’ complaints, began three and a half years ago claiming the NFL failed to address and warn of the dangers of head trauma.  Former players and their families suffering from life with debilitating neurological damage sought medical help from the NFL.  After a few rejections of proposed settlements, …

Continue Reading

Judge Says NFL Concussion Settlement Needs Changes

On Monday, February 2, Judge Anita Brody of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania denied the proposed class action settlement agreement reached between the NFL and thousands of former NFL players suing the league for concussion related injuries.

The lawsuit alleges that the NFL intentionally downplayed the risks of concussion-related injuries & their long-term effects on cognitive decline.  In august of 2013, the NFL and over 4,500 players reached a settlement amounting to $765 million.  The settlement has been a point of contention over the last …

Continue Reading

NHL Says No Common Question, No Common Answer, No Class Certification

In a court document released last week, NHL, Comcast, and others urged that the court should not grant a class certification to a group of TV broadcasting service subscribers who brought an antitrust action.  The defendants including NHL, Comcast, MLB and others argued that since the plaintiffs had failed to show common impact with common evidence, granting a class certification was not proper.

In 2012, the subscribers commenced the suit alleging that the restrictions imposed by the NHL and MLB on local TV broadcasters are …

Continue Reading

Dallas Cowboys Exonerated in Class-Action Seating Suit; NFL Still In

On Wednesday, August 6, Judge Lynn of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas granted the Dallas Cowboys’ motion to dismiss in another class action lawsuit arising from the 2011 Super Bowl XLV seating debacle.  The NFL, however, was not as fortunate.

The Dallas Cowboys hosted the 2011 Super Bowl and undertook the task of creating temporary seating to increase the number of tickets available.  The extended number of tickets were sold, but not all of the promised seats were constructed on …

Continue Reading

NCAA Reaches Settlement, Offering Rule Changes to Concussion Class-Action Plaintiffs

On Tuesday, the NCAA filed a proposed settlement in the US District Court of Chicago to potentially end the class-action head-trauma lawsuit.  The preliminary settlement will create a $70 million fund for diagnosing current and former college athletes for brain trauma and other head related injuries.  The NCAA is currently awaiting approval by Judge John Z. Lee.

The proposed deal also sets up a new and uniform return-to-play policy, treatment requirements, and protocol for athletes who sustain head injuries.  The fund will be made available …

Continue Reading

NFL Hurting From New Suit by Former Players Over Painkillers

The NFL’s litigation woes continue.  On May 20, 2014, the league was hit with a lawsuit brought by a group of retired former players claiming that the NFL illegally supplied them with narcotics and other painkillers to mask their injuries and keep them on the playing field, intentionally ignoring the risks these drugs had on the players’ long-term health.  The filing insists that the actions by team doctors and trainers were illegal because team medical personnel never obtained prescriptions, failed to keep drug records, and …

Continue Reading

Borgata Refunding Entrance Fees From Poker Tourney Tainted by Fake Chips

Following a three month investigation, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement issued an order on April 14th indicating that $1.7 million in prize money should be refunded to nearly half of the individuals that participated in a January poker tournament.

Tournament participants were required to pay a $560 entrance fee – $60 of which went to the house and $500 which went to the overall prize pool.  However, the tournament was halted shortly after it began when the casino discovered that hundreds of fake …

Continue Reading

NHL Faces Off with a New Concussion Suit

This week the NHL was hit with another concussion-based lawsuit brought against it by nine former hockey players.  The 109-page court filing accuses the league of negligence for failing to properly warn and protect players from the risks involved with repeated head trauma.  In pertinent part the complaint reads, “[D]espite the fact that the NHL’s violent game design induces head trauma, including concussions, the NHL has failed and continues to fail to warn its players of the risks to their lives and the devastating and …

Continue Reading

‘Hits of the 80s’ Producer Facing Class Action for Breaking ‘Promises, Promises’ to Consumers

On March 20, 2014, Tutm Entertainment, a media company known for producing music albums such as ‘Hits of the 80s’ and ‘Hits of the 90s,’ was hit with a class action suit in New Jersey federal court.  The suit, headed by lead plaintiff Celeste Farrell, is seeking over $5 million in damages for advertising practices Farrell claims constitute consumer fraud.

In particular, Farrel’s filing accused Tutm of releasing albums that appeared to contain the original versions of classic hits such as “Cult of Personality” by …

Continue Reading